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Awix (3310 KP) rated Godzilla 1985 (1985) in Movies
Jun 15, 2019 (Updated Jun 15, 2019)
A textbook example of how to take a fairly unimpressive film and make it much worse through cack-handed re-editing and intrusive inserted scenes. Godzilla reappears, somehow (the film ignores the events of all the previous sequels); a subplot about Cold War tensions only making the crisis more serious is significantly de-emphasised in favour of making the Russians into bad guys. The Pentagon (filled with Dr Pepper vending machines) call in Godzilla expert Steve Martin (not that one); he is never referred to by his first name, for obvious reasons. He and the senior Pentagon staff proceed to do exactly nothing but discuss events taking place in Tokyo.
The original movie was a laudable attempt to take Godzilla back to basics, let down by a sluggish plot, weak climax, and underwhelming monster (Godzilla appears to have had one martini too many and seems a bit unsteady on his feet). This one has all those problems too, which are only compounded by the way that all the film's interesting ideas kind of get lost in the re-edit. There are still a few decent sequences of Godzilla fighting the JSDF, including a sci-fi flying tank, but this is hard going for the most part.
The original movie was a laudable attempt to take Godzilla back to basics, let down by a sluggish plot, weak climax, and underwhelming monster (Godzilla appears to have had one martini too many and seems a bit unsteady on his feet). This one has all those problems too, which are only compounded by the way that all the film's interesting ideas kind of get lost in the re-edit. There are still a few decent sequences of Godzilla fighting the JSDF, including a sci-fi flying tank, but this is hard going for the most part.
Mayhawke (97 KP) rated The Big Over Easy: An Investigation with the Nursery Crime Division in Books
Feb 7, 2018
Fford. If you don't know him you should, especially if you love Adams & Pratchett
I picked this up on the off-chance , when it was on special offer. This is how I like to try out writers that are new to me. Buy 'em cheap and then it doesn't matter if (as is so often the case) they end up in the secondhand-bookshop.
If only more of them had fulfilled their promise as this did!
I really wasn't entirely clear on what I was getting, (that happens to me sometimes - I thought 'The Mummy' was a horror film!) but I'm so very glad I got it.
What Adams did for Sci-Fi and Pratchett did for Fantasy, so now Fford s doing for the 'tec novel. This amazing imagination give us a story in which Humpty-Dumpty, noted intellectual, womaniser and law-bender,is found dead at the bottom of a wall. It looks like suicide, but is it? Enter Jack Spratt hard-working, family-man detective with the Nursery Crimes Division.
Few things, even those I love actually make me laugh out loud, but this managed it on several occasions. If you like off-the-wall, bizarre or just plain silly, buy this.Then buy the rest of his books.
If only more of them had fulfilled their promise as this did!
I really wasn't entirely clear on what I was getting, (that happens to me sometimes - I thought 'The Mummy' was a horror film!) but I'm so very glad I got it.
What Adams did for Sci-Fi and Pratchett did for Fantasy, so now Fford s doing for the 'tec novel. This amazing imagination give us a story in which Humpty-Dumpty, noted intellectual, womaniser and law-bender,is found dead at the bottom of a wall. It looks like suicide, but is it? Enter Jack Spratt hard-working, family-man detective with the Nursery Crimes Division.
Few things, even those I love actually make me laugh out loud, but this managed it on several occasions. If you like off-the-wall, bizarre or just plain silly, buy this.Then buy the rest of his books.
Lumos (380 KP) rated The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet in Books
Jun 8, 2018
Ok.. .I'm going to admit I was a bit bummed my book club chose this as our next read. Sci-fi books have never been my forte.. I just can't seem to understand what is going on. So many scienc-y words and characters with hard to pronounce names.. but, I was very surprised by this book. I listened to the audio book version since I had a few long drives to take. I found myself getting to my destination and sitting in the parking lot waiting for the chapter/ scene to be over. Each character is so unique. Becky Chambers designed each persona in such a beautiful way, you can't help but find yourself getting attached to them. Normally, intergalactic characters are too far out of the world for me to relate to, but I found myself very invested in these characters' backgrounds and relating to them in unexpected ways. I am very eager for our next meeting to see what everyone else got out of the book. If you are like me, and space isn't your thing, I would still recommend you push past the first few chapters. Once you get the background of the first character, I guarantee you will be hooked!
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated Species II (1998) in Movies
Sep 21, 2020
Species II adds more of everything that made the first one such a success, but unfortunately with lesser results.
It obviously has a bigger budget this time around, the spaceships in the opening shots look pretty decent (even if they are plastered with product placement), it's has noticeably more gore, more nudity, more tentacles flying out of nipples, more Marg Helgenberger, more full body shots of the aliens, but have no doubt, this sequel is the epitome of guilty pleasure trash - it's obviously a bad film, but is so much goddam fun.
The bad CGI is a slight improvement on the first film, but I can respect the numerous practical effects in use, and the aliens seen near the end look both silly and quite horrific (good old H.R. Giger). The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but when you have lines like "They could fuck the human race into extinction" being thrown around, it hard to not ironically enjoy yourself.
Ultimately, Species II is a worse film than it's predecessor (which is hardly a masterpiece in the first place) but it's loud, dumb, gory, sci-fi action that equates to that age old saying - it's so bad, it's kind of good.
It obviously has a bigger budget this time around, the spaceships in the opening shots look pretty decent (even if they are plastered with product placement), it's has noticeably more gore, more nudity, more tentacles flying out of nipples, more Marg Helgenberger, more full body shots of the aliens, but have no doubt, this sequel is the epitome of guilty pleasure trash - it's obviously a bad film, but is so much goddam fun.
The bad CGI is a slight improvement on the first film, but I can respect the numerous practical effects in use, and the aliens seen near the end look both silly and quite horrific (good old H.R. Giger). The dialogue leaves a lot to be desired, but when you have lines like "They could fuck the human race into extinction" being thrown around, it hard to not ironically enjoy yourself.
Ultimately, Species II is a worse film than it's predecessor (which is hardly a masterpiece in the first place) but it's loud, dumb, gory, sci-fi action that equates to that age old saying - it's so bad, it's kind of good.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated The Adam Project (2022) in Movies
Mar 22, 2022
I really didn't get a lot of enjoyment out of The Adam Project, but in the interest of fairness, it's not without its merits. Most importantly, I can only imagine how much of a blast kids will have watching it. It's family friendly presentation, copious amounts of Ryan Reynolds, and it's main young protagonist make it a done deal in that respect. It's helped along by some snappy action moments, some good humoured dialogue, and some genuinely touching character beats.
Personally though, the jarring editing and conflicting tones are hard to look past. The comedy and seriousness aren't well balanced at all, and the often and sudden switching of on screen proceedings feel scrappy. It's comes across messy. Zoe Saldana crops up about halfway through and feels like she's walked in from a completely different movie. The CGI is hit and miss. Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's ropey, and then there's poor Catherine Keener, who is subjected to possibly the worst bout of digital de-aging I can recall.
The Adam Project isn't a completely awful experience, it's just a very cookie cutter sci-fi action that feels instantly forgettable. As mentioned though, kids will undoubtedly love it, which can only be a positive.
Personally though, the jarring editing and conflicting tones are hard to look past. The comedy and seriousness aren't well balanced at all, and the often and sudden switching of on screen proceedings feel scrappy. It's comes across messy. Zoe Saldana crops up about halfway through and feels like she's walked in from a completely different movie. The CGI is hit and miss. Sometimes it's ok, sometimes it's ropey, and then there's poor Catherine Keener, who is subjected to possibly the worst bout of digital de-aging I can recall.
The Adam Project isn't a completely awful experience, it's just a very cookie cutter sci-fi action that feels instantly forgettable. As mentioned though, kids will undoubtedly love it, which can only be a positive.
Nick Friesen (96 KP) rated Blade Runner (1982) in Movies
Jul 13, 2017
Dark and gorgeous setting (4 more)
Harrison Ford
Thought-provoking premise
That moody Vangelis score
Rutger Hauer
Best in Class Cyberpunk Neo-Noir
Most Sci-Fi fans these days probably rank Blade Runner somewhere in their top five favorites. Its status and influence on Sci-Fi, especially in the Cyberpunk sub-genre, is undeniable. When it was first released in 1982, however, it was not so well appreciated. It was met with polarized reviews and underwhelming domestic box office figures. This was probably due to some misplaced expectations of the movie. The studio erroneously marketed Blade Runner as an action/adventure, and not to mention, Harrison Ford was riding the fame of another Sci-Fi franchise that was much more action-oriented. It's no surprise then, that audiences and critics alike were initially turned off by the slow-burn pacing of detective noir that Blade Runner pulled into a science fiction setting. Today, Blade Runner is a celebrated masterpiece of filmmaking and adored by fans around the world. However, with a sequel coming soon, those new to the franchise might be a little confused due to the existence of multiple versions of the film. Let's clear that up a bit.
Fast-forward ten years to 1992, when the world received the Director's Cut of the film. At the time, Blade Runner had picked up in popularity through video rental and the international market, and the studio was prompted to release an official Director's Cut after an unofficial version was being made available from a workprint. The Director's Cut was the first introduction to Blade Runner for a whole new generation, including myself.
Fast-forward fifteen more years to 2007, when Ridley Scott brought Blade Runner fans his definitive version of the movie, the Final Cut. Blade Runner: The Final Cut was digitally remastered and reworked by Ridley Scott with complete artistic freedom, whereas the Director's Cut was created by the studio without his involvement. This version fixes some technical problems that persisted from the theatrical version to the Director's Cut, and adds back a little story to better fulfill Ridley Scott's original vision for the film.
If you're looking to get into Blade Runner before Blade Runner 2049 hits theatres in October, the Final Cut is probably the best place to start. It offers the most cohesive viewing experience, complete with restored visuals. Believe me when I tell you there is no movie quite like Blade Runner. Watching Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) track down and "retire" replicants on the streets of a dystopian Los Angeles awash in neon signs never ceases to fill me with awe. Rutger Hauer's performance as the main antagonist, Roy Batty, is both chilling and thought-provoking, making viewers question what being human truly means.
Blade Runner is now widely considered to be not just the first example of Cyberpunk in film, but also the best. And for good reason, as every frame is a work of art, and the philosophical questions it first posed 35 years ago are still being debated today. Us die-hard fans can only pray the upcoming sequel doesn't completely obliterate the mystery and pathos of the replicant condition.
Fast-forward ten years to 1992, when the world received the Director's Cut of the film. At the time, Blade Runner had picked up in popularity through video rental and the international market, and the studio was prompted to release an official Director's Cut after an unofficial version was being made available from a workprint. The Director's Cut was the first introduction to Blade Runner for a whole new generation, including myself.
Fast-forward fifteen more years to 2007, when Ridley Scott brought Blade Runner fans his definitive version of the movie, the Final Cut. Blade Runner: The Final Cut was digitally remastered and reworked by Ridley Scott with complete artistic freedom, whereas the Director's Cut was created by the studio without his involvement. This version fixes some technical problems that persisted from the theatrical version to the Director's Cut, and adds back a little story to better fulfill Ridley Scott's original vision for the film.
If you're looking to get into Blade Runner before Blade Runner 2049 hits theatres in October, the Final Cut is probably the best place to start. It offers the most cohesive viewing experience, complete with restored visuals. Believe me when I tell you there is no movie quite like Blade Runner. Watching Rick Deckard (Harrison Ford) track down and "retire" replicants on the streets of a dystopian Los Angeles awash in neon signs never ceases to fill me with awe. Rutger Hauer's performance as the main antagonist, Roy Batty, is both chilling and thought-provoking, making viewers question what being human truly means.
Blade Runner is now widely considered to be not just the first example of Cyberpunk in film, but also the best. And for good reason, as every frame is a work of art, and the philosophical questions it first posed 35 years ago are still being debated today. Us die-hard fans can only pray the upcoming sequel doesn't completely obliterate the mystery and pathos of the replicant condition.
LeftSideCut (3778 KP) rated In Search of Darkness (2019) in Movies
Aug 12, 2020
In short, In Search of Darkness is a must watch for any horror fan.
It's 4+ hour runtime is a gushing love letter to 80s horror, covering the decade year by year, with interviews from an impressive cast of genre icons - John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, Joe Dante, Barbara Crampton, Doug Bradley, Tom Atkins, Lori Cardille, Nick Castle, Jeffrey Combs, Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Heather Langenkamp, Don Mancini, Cassandra Peterson, Caroline Williams, Brian Yuzner, and many more!
The documentary doesn't break any new ground, truth be told, but it's hard to not to appreciate all of these films being covered in one place. The sheer amount of titles discussed is pretty vast.
It's put together nicely as well. Old grainy film trailers tend to set the tone of each entry, but all of the footage shown is crystal clear and HD. The graphics are eye catching, with classic one sheets on display throughout, and it's all set too a great synth soundtrack courtesy of Weary Pines.
Really worth checking out - I split my viewing over a few nights and was honestly gutted when I had none left to watch. Director David A. Weiner did a great job with this documentary, and has a second one coming next year entitled In Search of Tomorrow, focusing on the Sci-Fi films of the 80s, and I can't wait to see it!
It's 4+ hour runtime is a gushing love letter to 80s horror, covering the decade year by year, with interviews from an impressive cast of genre icons - John Carpenter, Larry Cohen, Joe Dante, Barbara Crampton, Doug Bradley, Tom Atkins, Lori Cardille, Nick Castle, Jeffrey Combs, Kane Hodder, Tom Holland, Heather Langenkamp, Don Mancini, Cassandra Peterson, Caroline Williams, Brian Yuzner, and many more!
The documentary doesn't break any new ground, truth be told, but it's hard to not to appreciate all of these films being covered in one place. The sheer amount of titles discussed is pretty vast.
It's put together nicely as well. Old grainy film trailers tend to set the tone of each entry, but all of the footage shown is crystal clear and HD. The graphics are eye catching, with classic one sheets on display throughout, and it's all set too a great synth soundtrack courtesy of Weary Pines.
Really worth checking out - I split my viewing over a few nights and was honestly gutted when I had none left to watch. Director David A. Weiner did a great job with this documentary, and has a second one coming next year entitled In Search of Tomorrow, focusing on the Sci-Fi films of the 80s, and I can't wait to see it!
Jesters_folly (230 KP) rated The Cloverfield Paradox (2018) in Movies
Oct 7, 2020
Contains spoilers, click to show
The Cloverfield Paradox is the third and (at time of writing) the last Cloverfield film and it's main purpose is to explain where Clover and his friends come from. Does it do this in an easy to follow, straight forward way that fits easily into the already established Cloverfield universe? Hell no.
The first film was a found footage monster movie and the second film was a psychological thriller that was loosely linked to the first so naturally the third film is a hard Sci-Fi set in the near future. The earth has used up most of it's resources and everyone is nearly at war, the last hope is the Cloverfield space-station which has the 'Shepard' beam, an experimental particle beam that, if it works, will produce an endless supply of energy. The lack of resources and looming war are the only problems, there are no monsters and there never were.
The Cloverfield Paradox mainly follows the crew of the space station and quickly turns into a Sci-Fi horror in a similar vain to 'Event Horizon'. Basically the crew activate the Shepard Beam, it works then crashes and the earth disappears. Then strange things start to happen. At the same time something happens on earth, there is an attack on America and a few people run around trying to find out what happens and one hides in a bunker similar to the one in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Meanwhile the crew of the Cloverfield try to find out where the earth is.
As a Sci-Fi, the Cloverfield Paradox works well, it uses just enough jargon and theoretical physics and as a horror it works well, killing off the cast in weird and wonderful ways. And as an explanation for Clover well SPOILER that's what attacked Earth, of course this is only reviled right at the end and there is no explanation to how they got to the past in the other film's. Except there is, about twenty minuets into the film, after everything has been set up but before everything goes wrong there is a news program shown on a monitor whilst the crew begin to start their experiments. The news show is interviewing the author of a book called 'The Cloverfield Paradox' and, in the interview the author explains everything from what is going to happen to how Clover and the other monsters appear on earth even though know one in the future knows anything about them, so pay attention.
One thing the all three Cloverfield films did well was all of the extra stuff. The original film started with tease trailers, infomercial's form company's seen in the film and fake news reels. This kind of marketing continued for all three films and other information was made available including one big link between Cloverfield and the Cloverfield Paradox. The last scene of the first film, the scene that was set before everything that happened with the couple by the beach shows something falling from the sky in the background, this is part of the Cloverfield space station.
With the revelation that the creatures now exist all through time a fourth film was rumoured - Overlord- however, even though the film was made by the same company and the same people it was never part of the Cloverfield universe and is/was meant to be the start of it's own franchise. Even though it could easily fit even as a ret con.
The first film was a found footage monster movie and the second film was a psychological thriller that was loosely linked to the first so naturally the third film is a hard Sci-Fi set in the near future. The earth has used up most of it's resources and everyone is nearly at war, the last hope is the Cloverfield space-station which has the 'Shepard' beam, an experimental particle beam that, if it works, will produce an endless supply of energy. The lack of resources and looming war are the only problems, there are no monsters and there never were.
The Cloverfield Paradox mainly follows the crew of the space station and quickly turns into a Sci-Fi horror in a similar vain to 'Event Horizon'. Basically the crew activate the Shepard Beam, it works then crashes and the earth disappears. Then strange things start to happen. At the same time something happens on earth, there is an attack on America and a few people run around trying to find out what happens and one hides in a bunker similar to the one in 10 Cloverfield Lane. Meanwhile the crew of the Cloverfield try to find out where the earth is.
As a Sci-Fi, the Cloverfield Paradox works well, it uses just enough jargon and theoretical physics and as a horror it works well, killing off the cast in weird and wonderful ways. And as an explanation for Clover well SPOILER that's what attacked Earth, of course this is only reviled right at the end and there is no explanation to how they got to the past in the other film's. Except there is, about twenty minuets into the film, after everything has been set up but before everything goes wrong there is a news program shown on a monitor whilst the crew begin to start their experiments. The news show is interviewing the author of a book called 'The Cloverfield Paradox' and, in the interview the author explains everything from what is going to happen to how Clover and the other monsters appear on earth even though know one in the future knows anything about them, so pay attention.
One thing the all three Cloverfield films did well was all of the extra stuff. The original film started with tease trailers, infomercial's form company's seen in the film and fake news reels. This kind of marketing continued for all three films and other information was made available including one big link between Cloverfield and the Cloverfield Paradox. The last scene of the first film, the scene that was set before everything that happened with the couple by the beach shows something falling from the sky in the background, this is part of the Cloverfield space station.
With the revelation that the creatures now exist all through time a fourth film was rumoured - Overlord- however, even though the film was made by the same company and the same people it was never part of the Cloverfield universe and is/was meant to be the start of it's own franchise. Even though it could easily fit even as a ret con.
BadgerMuffin (48 KP) rated Judge Dredd in Tabletop Games
Jun 3, 2019
Judge Judge Dredd? Sure, I'll do that.
Unfortunately I've only played this game for about an hour, and yet it's something I intend on spending a lot more time on in the near future.
The Judge Dredd RPG is simple, but adds things many RPG's don't have. For example, say you were trying to investigate someone's emails, you would add together your computer dice (2d6) and your investigation dice (1d6) rolling for a total of 3d6. This is a nifty feature which totally makes sense and means you really think about who does what in your games.
Now I do have a problem with Sci Fi games. Namely you can do almost anything, nothing stops you but the laws of physics. This can really derail a game. If you play with the right group then this isn't a problem, but finding those players can be hard.
On the outside of the DM's screen it contains a list of crimes and what their punishment is, which is rather useful as a player. They also contain many useful stats for vehicles.
The paper quality this book is printed on is ~130gsm and as such has a good feel to it.
I personally would look to buy it, but maybe not at full price. They are releasing new expansions and as such this many change with time. But currently I'd look to spend maybe a maximum of £35 on this book.
TL;DR
-Expansive book and screen
-Fun to Play
-Cool Mechanics
-Maybe wait until it's on sale.
The Judge Dredd RPG is simple, but adds things many RPG's don't have. For example, say you were trying to investigate someone's emails, you would add together your computer dice (2d6) and your investigation dice (1d6) rolling for a total of 3d6. This is a nifty feature which totally makes sense and means you really think about who does what in your games.
Now I do have a problem with Sci Fi games. Namely you can do almost anything, nothing stops you but the laws of physics. This can really derail a game. If you play with the right group then this isn't a problem, but finding those players can be hard.
On the outside of the DM's screen it contains a list of crimes and what their punishment is, which is rather useful as a player. They also contain many useful stats for vehicles.
The paper quality this book is printed on is ~130gsm and as such has a good feel to it.
I personally would look to buy it, but maybe not at full price. They are releasing new expansions and as such this many change with time. But currently I'd look to spend maybe a maximum of £35 on this book.
TL;DR
-Expansive book and screen
-Fun to Play
-Cool Mechanics
-Maybe wait until it's on sale.